Analysis of human herpes virus 6 infections with a quantitative, standardized, commercial kit in pediatric stem cell transplant recipients after transplantation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and clinical relevance of active Human Herpes Virus 6 (HHV6) infections in pediatric patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Retrospective analysis of samples prospectively collected at Akdeniz University Medical Faculty Hospital, Antalya, Turkey, between May 2006 and July 2007 from 15 pediatric patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A commercial quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction kit was used to analyze plasma samples collected from 15 pediatric allogeneic HSCT recipients. RESULTS: HHV6 DNA was found positive in 8 (53%) patients. HHV6 DNA levels above 1000 copies/mL were found only in 2 patients and they were also consecutively positive for HHV6 DNA. Age at transplantation, use of ATG, and receiving grafts other than HLA identical siblings increased the risk, with a statistically significant difference, of having HHV6 reactivation with levels exceeding 1000 copies/mL (P values, respectively, P=.03, .001, .025). Active HHV6 infections with HHV6 viremia levels higher than 1000 copies/mL were associated with subsequent delayed platelet engraftment (P=.001), acute graft versus host disease (P=.001), skin rash, and fever of unknown origin. CONCLUSION: More than half of pediatric allogeneic HSCT patients develop active HHV6 infection, and especially in patients with high viremic loads, the infection can result in serious clinical situations. A clinically significant cutoff value for viremia seems to be necessary to predict serious clinical complications.